The USC-Texas game was 11 years ago. Time really flies. Maybe this year’s Rose Bowl takes some of the sting away. Probably not. I thought if USC won this game, it might win another 3-4 national titles. Kind of like Alabama.
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When did the NCAA start investigating ALA? OLE MISS paid off Laremy Tunsil big-time and he admitted it on national TV when he was drafted. I doubt the NCAA is still even looking into it.
Well Jack, they promised not to do it again.
This was by far the most fishy game in terms of officiating. In fact, every time I think or hear of it I almost gag.
OT – From Penn State blogger David Jones. Amazing.
“One last bit about the Rose Bowl and then we can turn toward Tampa and hoops. But I can’t move on without mentioning it:
Penn State fans, you got the true Big Ten Pasadena experience this time in all its gory Technicolor detail. By that, I mean you were initiated into the conference brotherhood of heartbreak at the hands of USC.
It’s a birthright for anyone at Michigan or Ohio State, losing an excruciating game to the Trojans at the world’s most enchanting athletic venue. There is no more bittersweet experience in sports than attending a Rose Bowl, gazing agape at the vividness of the beauty all around you. The colors all seem richer even when it’s cloudy, the air like velvet even when it’s chilly.
Then your team makes a valiant effort, you think victory is at hand and at the very end it’s snatched away by the Evil Empire in cardinal and gold. Ask anyone in Ann Arbor or Columbus. This is a rerun they’ve lived through over and over.
As a kid back in the 1960s and ’70s, I watched Woody Hayes take four different teams into the Rose Bowl to meet USC. Two of those ended in just such a painful manner. Then, when I was an OSU undergrad, yet another narrow defeat at the very end in the post-1979 game. Michigan folks can tick off the Pasadena losses to USC: 1969, 1976, 1978, 1989, 2003, 2005.
Northwestern (1995) fans of a certain age know the feeling, too. And though they never play at the Rose Bowl, Notre Dame folks know all about it.
Like some of the OSU and Michigan defeats, I don’t think Penn State’s post-2008 loss qualifies because it was never in doubt. Which is sort of a prerequisite for real agony and the unique pain yet to come.
And what’s that nadir moment? The sound of the Trojan band in their war-helmeted outfits piping up when their triumph is clear. And I don’t mean the little ditty they play the whole game like Florida State’s tomahawk chop tune. Or the Fight On song they strike up after touchdowns (both in the video below).
I mean their victory march. Just hearing it brings on dark memories from my childhood, recollections I keep in the back of the mind’s bottom drawer with moving days and dying pets. It’s the dirge from a recurring nightmare.
USC’s band only plays the song when they know they’ve won. It’s called Conquest and the reason it sounds like the soundtrack out of a 20th Century Fox epic from the ’40s is that’s exactly where it came from. It’s their version of Red Auerbach’s victory cigar and the I Believe chant begun by Navy midshipmen.
It’s worse, though. Because it drips with a special arrogance. And as much as you hate it, you know it’s a great piece of music.
The conductor uses as his baton a gilded gladius, the stubby sword of ancient Greek and Roman foot soldiers, stabbing it in the air with the marching cadence. In the back of your mind you know this is the band that played Tusk behind Fleetwood Mac. It’s the band that crossed over into the record industry and show business.
All the while the damn horse is prancing around. He’s not just a horse, of course. He has to be white. Like Dr. Evil’s cat.
But you know what the very worst part is? You take in the whole scene in despondence, the USC fans mimicking the trumpet flourishes with their “Oh-oo-oh-ooooo” and the incomparable Song Girls in their white sweaters calmly punching the air with a V for victory in all their confident perfection. And you allow yourself the fleeting thought:
If you’d been born into their tribe and their golden land, you’d love being one of them.
That’s the worst part! That’s the part that drives you nuts. Because you’ll have to think about this loss for nine months. You’re flying home the next day. Winter has only begun.
Meanwhile, they’ll be in California. And they’ll probably forget about it tomorrow when they leave work early for the beach.
God, I hate that song.”
My goodness, such reverence. SC is a proud program, but you’d think OSU and Michigan have never won anything based on that post.
Jack B, Thank you, Sir !!!
Great stuff, Jack. Thanks for sharing!
This is awesome!
I have newfound respect for Penn State. This guy really gets it. Woo hoo!
Great stuff – hopefully Scottie really doesn’t read his comment section, as he says. Might need to find a new line of work. That’s Malamud quality.
Fantastic writing and direct hit sentiment.
“The air like velvet even when it’s chilly.” I’ve been there. A USC Rose Bowl game moving from day-to-night under low clouds with the uniforms dirty and helmets reflecting the lights is a treat that’s hard to match.
Well, Jack, the Big-10 has put the hurt on SC in some Rose Bowls. I won’t forget the 1973 team losing big to Ohio St between national championships in 1972 and 1974. Or two losses in a row in 1988 and 1989, great Trojan teams..
Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if you just won all the time, would it? And Losing to Buckeyes Rex Kern and John Brockington, et al, was expected by most.
Can we get David Jones to take over this blog?
I second that proposal!
I love it when a post from a reader overshadows the initial content posted by the blogger. Great find Jack, truly a very very good read. Quite uncommon on this blog.
This is why it is great to be a Trojan. Too bad Scottie doesn’t get it.
Awesome. Just awesome.
This was the highlight of a sad, pathetic, of blogger. Feel better now?
I remember being thoroughly depressed the day after that Texas game. The run was over, we all knew it. Sure, SC had some great teams that came close the next few years; but that game brought it all to an end. My brother called me as he was waiting in the parking lot to get out of the stadium. If I hadn’t been watching the game myself, I’d thought he was calling to tell me our parents had just died from the tone of his voice.
Saul Goodman, you are right when you post “the run was over”. The loss of Matt Leinart to graduation, I believe, could have been overcome if TB LenDale White had stayed the course at USC. His departure left the Trojans with no proven running back. His decision to leave USC at that critical time, IMO, was nothing more than sheer stupidity.
On a more serious note. I’m sure many here have been following the recruiting saga of Darnay Holmes; God knows Wolf know nothing about it because he is too focused on coming up with cockamamie reasons why Penn St. lost the Rose Bowl, even though they were the better team.
Holmes’ recruiting is becoming a soap opera between the mom, dad, sister, and girlfriend, and it could get uglier the closer we get to National Signing Day. In short, the mom, sister, and girlfriend want him at USC. The dad wants him at UCLA because the dad is good friends with one of the Bruin coaches. The kid is supposed to choose a school on Saturday at the Army All-American Bowl and be an Early Entry and start classes on Monday. On the TOS, the speculation is that he will be going to Ohio St., but USC could be his choice as well. This reminds me of Vidal Hazelton and his jackwagon father refusing to sign his LOI until later on. My gut tells me this could be another Mique Juarez, where the kid is so screwed up in the head from all this that it may affect his college career.
If anyone has any info or thoughts on this, please post and share.
I’ve learned over the years that you don’t worry about the ones you lost, especially if it involved a frenetic battle where the kid doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. If the parents can’t get on the same page, the kid’s handicapped because he’s always had to live with this BS.
Mom’s usually win, unless you’ve got a Marinovich dad on your hands.
Who’s USC’s back up signee here? Is Holmes really that great? I don’t follow recruiting until LOI Day arrives now.
What’s worse is getting a supposedly great one who’s a head case like Hazelton or Juarez.
Well, that’s what I’m thinking. If this kid is going to be this conflicted between the family and his college choice, that may be something that USC needs to stay away from. This kid is a legit shutdown corner, but if he is not all in then its not worth it.
IMHO, getting a kid who really loves your school, who is very comfortable with his choice, is very important, and often has a lot to do with his success, and the team’s. Of course there are exceptions, but a clear-headed desire to choose one school over the rest can go a long way.
Holmes was not serious USC, until this week.There are a number of good corners back up. Its the OL and DL’s that are down to a small handful of well developed guys not solid for other programs.
Recruiting reporter for rivals,talked to him this week.Has him USC.Holmes talks Branding.Says USC is great for Branding.Holmes spent week hanging with other USC commits.They say he’s a Trojan.Foster Sarell is the one I’d most love to see commit Saturday.
We need OLs badly! Sarell’s a lot more important to us, as well as any other big-time OL signees we can reel in.
Sarell has moved more this week toward us.However,he still may stay close to home .Jackson looks like a Trojan.I think our OL class will be quite good,Not elite. I know coaches are all over the DL need. However,it will take some miracles to bring D Tackles east of us here.But hey,we’ve seen a few miracles this year.!!
If he comes to SC great. I’m just worried about the family situation becoming an ongoing distraction. If the dad is not down with SC then this could mess with the kids head. Again, we need to learn from the Mique Juarez situation. Him sitting out this whole year with no football is going to set him back two years.
I’m not concerned about the family.Helton is solid when it comes to that read.The culture of the last few years here,has finally started to root.
Ohio State insiders are saying he wants Ohio St and his mom wants USC and his dad wants UCLA but will settle for OSU. His Dad reminds me of Lamar. Reggie Bush’s stepfather. He’s down in San Antonio always on the phone like he’s brokering deals.
Then I hope he plays for the Bucks – if that’s where he wants to go. Hopefully, he has someone strong around him to help him make the choice for himself, not his parents.
I have been watching the process closely, Holmes is a solid player but USC has other options that want in… I really don’t think he was a high priority considering who is available and verballed .. No loss!
Why is everyone making such a big deal about him? He’s publicized so huge. Why? Is he really like an Adoree Jackson-type on tape?
Do you believe our back-up choices are just as good, or close?
He’s as advertised, solid football skills. He will play a very long time on sundays.. There are several kids just as good that could be better.. like Darnold .. The switch came on he was ready.. and well we know the results.
Good…then go to Ohio State…we don’t need another headache like Lamar Griffith.
So true. And we don’t need any more headaches like some of the players who were either forced to leave or couldn’t cut it this season.
Hopefully, we’re vetting these kids extensively and not willing to sign kids we aren’t convinced can handle college life well, regardless of their physical talent.
I remember how hyped Vidal Hazelton was. What a legendary player he turned out to be. Like that fat guy Lane Kiffin recruited #1 player in the world Haystacks Callhoun or whatever, he went to Miami and won like 3 games in however many years he played.
The game before the 2006 Rose Bowl Heartbreak featured a 66-19 beating, a humiliation of #11 Ranked UCLA. I’ll take that game to the Bank !!! SW, for those of us who love and support Trojan Football, the 2017 Rose Bowl Trojan Victory complete with Sam Darnold’s incredible stats put to rest the memory of the 2006 RB game, for good.
Indeed, the TEXAS collapse/nighgtmare is over for me. And it took this last second knockout against a super tough PSU team to do it.
That demon is exorcised. You gotta take the good with the bad in life. We’re in the good realm now. Ride it!
Beating Penn St. for another Rose Bowl can’t erase the Texas game. Only beating the best over-rated top ranked team in the nation will do that, and that was a 52-6 beat down. Maybe next time, for sure some day.
For me, the TEXAS debacle occurred primarily because we COULD NOT STOP Vince Young. We tried, over and over, but every time, that dude just ran through us like butter. We made many other mistakes of course, like dropped picks, threw way laterals, bad penalties, etc, but in the end, USC was beaten by one player even though every one in the stadium knew what he was gonna do – run to the right on us. Still, he beat us badly and easily outraced our mediocre defense to the corner of the end zone.
And when we had the chance in the end to prevent Young from ever getting the ball again, we got stuffed bad and left Reggie Bush off the field to boot. So over time, I’ve come to see we were just outplayed and that TEXAS was the better team that night.
PSU may feel like they deserved to win this RB and that they gave the game away with that last stupid pick they threw to McQuay.
But in reality, PSU lost because whatever they tried, over and over, they could not stop Darnold. Never. He destroyed them like Young destroyed us. No sense in PSU pretending they should have won. Darnold was just too good for them that night. And Young was just too good for the Trojans 11 years ago.
That’s what this Rose Bowl last Monday taught me. And that’s how the ghost of Vince Young finally stopped haunting me. I don’t need another NC to get even anymore. Winning the best Rose Bowl I’ve ever seen did it for me.
The sting of that game in 2006 is still not removed in my life. My poor wife still blames herself because we had just started dating a year or so before this game. She feels as if USC’s run through the mud was on her. This 2017 Rose Bowl win proves that wrong, and I’m down with that.
Hats off to Leon McQuay. Not much mentioned about him in this game. 7 tackles, 1 interception. Was Jack Jones over the top help late in the game. Thanks for leaving Florida to come to USC. I hope you have a good music career.
If winning in 2007, 2008 and 2009 didn’t why would this one?
The corrupt NCAA under the tutelage of an even more corrupt Miami AD named Paul Dee and in-house counsel moved to confirm the plan by former SEC commissioner Michael Slive. If it wasn’t Bush then it would be White and if not White then someone else
i.e. there were never going to be 3 – 4 NC’s in a row and oh yeah any chance of weathering the storm was trashed by Pete booking for the Seahawks.
A pipe dream of 3 – 4 nc’s.
May Paul Dee rot in hell. I heard you only get the Pac-12 network in hell, which would be the complete opposite of life on Earth.
Sorry Blogger, you can’t rain on our parade.
USC could have won 3-4 championships if they didn’t run off Norm Chow in favor of Joey Freshwater and Sark after Dark!
Even if USC beat Texas, it wouldn’t have changed the Sarkiffian twins play calling in the 13-9 debacle.
Or mollified the arrogance that lead to the Stanford debacle the next year.
That “special arrogance” that Jack pointed out had a down side, which is that Pete Carroll believed he could win NC’s with his son as Recruiting Coordinator, and Jeremy Bates and Rocky Seto as coordinators.
What seems to be rarely mentioned is how beat up the SC defense was going in to that Rose Bowl. Carroll and his staff did an amazing job to hold Texas as long as they did. By the 4th quarter the Texas offense was a hot knife through warm butter. SC still could have won it on that damn 4th and 1!
Remember Fresno St. scored more points on USC’s beat down defense than Vince Young. SC was on their 4th string Corner Backs. IF Dallas Sartz and the rest of SC’s defense weren’t out with injuries that game would have been completely different, as is that game was over had Reggie Bush not hotdogged that lateral on the way to another SC TD.
The night Texas beat USC for the Nat’l Title, a.k.a. the happiest night of Scott Wolf’s life.